


Lucky One

by t_dragon



Series: Through Hell, To Heaven [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - MAMA (Music Video), Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-01-15 20:59:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12328776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_dragon/pseuds/t_dragon
Summary: You are my only oneThe moment I discover youYou shine more radiantlyI’ll be the lucky one





	Lucky One

_“Rush him to the facility, he seems to have suffered some injuries from the crash, and if he dies we probably will as well!”_

 

 Chanyeol’s eyelids fluttered as he was moved, realizing he was on a stretcher. The lights above him were blinding, even as he closed his eyes once more.

 ‘ _Baekhyun_ ’ was all that flashed past in his mind, as Chanyeol was worrying about the older man and not even caring about his own state. The image of Baekhyun being shot suddenly surfaced, and Chanyeol jolted, forcing his eyes open again. He needed to get to Baekhyun, he needed to make sure Baekhyun was okay!

 As he began to struggle against his restraints, letting his fire burn to release him, there were shouts around him, and then a needle was pressed into his thigh. The yell he had let out at one point died in his throat as his eyes rolled back, and darkness once more enveloped him.

  


~☉~

  


_“Baek, wait!” Chanyeol called out, Baekhyun’s beautiful laughter the only thing guiding him after the older man._

_When Chanyeol finally found Baekhyun, he had come to a stop in a beautiful clearing, head tilted back to face the sunlight pouring down. His stance was relaxed as he soaked the light up, recharging in his element and positively glowing. He had a tendency to that sometimes; internally lit by his power, finding its way to the surface._

_Baekhyun truly was more radiant than any star the scientists could ever find. And that was not just Chanyeol’s biased opinion. Though he was severely biased._

_Slowly, Baekhyun turned around, the soft smile on his face falling, until fear replaced his tranquil expression. Their surroundings changed, to a place Chanyeol knew all too well._

_And he knew what would happen. But just as before, he was powerless to stop it, powerless to stop the flames engulfing Baekhyun, powerless to do anything else than watch the love of his life, his soulmate, his light and everything, burn to death._

_But this time, there was no Zitao to turn back time. This time, there was only a corpse falling to the floor, flesh turned to ash falling apart, revealing the skeleton beneath…_

  


~☉~

  


 The first thing Chanyeol did as he woke up was to lean over the side of the bed he was on and puke. Tears stung his eyes as his stomach forcefully emptied its content - which was little more than gastric acid. With nothing more to expel, he dry heaved, before being able to breathe again, and leaning back in the bed.

 Cold sweat was covering him and he was trembling, but he tried to calm himself down. Baekhyun was safe, Baekhyun was still alive, Zitao had saved him.

 Then reality hit him, and Chanyeol realized that Baekhyun might not be safe at all. He was probably alive, but they were back in a facility, and Baekhyun might not be safe.

 With his heart stuttering in a way that was probably not too healthy, Chanyeol tried to get out of the bed, only to realize that his body did not function properly. Looking at his arm, he saw a drip connected to his arm, slowly injecting him with a blue fluid. Yanking the needle out, he forced himself up and out of the bed, only to collapse on the floor because of his weak knees.

 But Chanyeol did not care. Getting up on all fours, he began to crawl towards the door. He needed to get to Baekhyun, to make sure he was alive and well and safe, and get them out of here.

 Unfortunately, he was being watched, and he barely made it halfway through the small room before guards and scientist burst in through the door. Chanyeol was forced up and onto the bed again, wrists and ankles being restrained as he weakly tried to fight against them. Another shot was put into his thigh, and it did not take long before his mind grew hazy and numb.

  _“How did he manage to wake up so quickly?”_

_“I don’t know… His power is fire, right? Maybe he’s burning the drug out of his system? We probably need to increase the dose…”_

 Darkness pulled at him, and Chanyeol could not fight it off no matter how hard he tried.

 His light and salvation was missing, and darkness claimed him once more.

  


~☉~

  


 Baekhyun is trapped in the darkness, once more. If he is awake, or stuck in the back of his mind, he do not know. All he knows is that everything around him is darkness, and he _hates_ darkness.

 Removing his hands from his face, Baekhyun tries to generate some light, but not even a spark flickers above his palms. Not that he can see his palms.

 Wrapping his arms around himself, Baekhyun collapses down in fetal position on the floor - or whatever surface he is lying on. Nothing is heard except for the soft, dry sobs tumbling from his lips, his tears apparently missing.

_Chanyeol… Please be okay, Chanyeol… I’m so sorry, Chanyeol..._

  


~☉~

  


 Time was uncountable as Chanyeol drifted in and out of consciousness - it might go forwards, it might go backwards, it might not move at all, he does not know. All he knows is that sometimes light was filling his room, and sometimes it was dark. Sometimes there are voices around him, small glimpses of people, and sometimes no one was there.

 His thoughts were muffled and foggy, even the memory of Baekhyun’s face and voice blurry. It hurt him, to not be able to properly remember his light, and he tried to fight his way to the surface. The fire heated up beneath his skin, and amazingly, some of the fog in his mind cleared away.

  _“Maybe he’s burning the drug out of his system?”_

 The words, the memory, flashed past in his mind, and Chanyeol gave a slight gasp. Could he… Burn it all out?

 Forgetting everything else and focusing completely, Chanyeol tried to control the fire in his veins, tried to make it slightly stronger, slightly warmer, slightly more powerful. The asthenia of his limb slowly trickled away, and he could move for the first time in a long time.

 Blinking his eyes open, he squinted in the faint light, eyes too sensitive even for that. Tears formed, but he forced them away, needing to find out his surroundings before someone noticed something was wrong.

 Before they drugged him again.

 Squinting to give as little away as possible, Chanyeol slowly took the room in. It was white and devoid of much, only the bed he was lying on decorating it. There was the door he had already tried for once, and there was a huge window on one side, suspiciously dark. One-way mirror, probably.

 Eyes flickering to the ceiling, Chanyeol saw a white and black bulb-looking thing, and even though it looked strange and too small, he guessed it was the monitoring camera.

 Thinking back to the last time he had been confined, Chanyeol remembered the different things set up to keep tabs on them, and control them. His room had been outfitted with an infrared camera, to measure his body temperature, alerting security if it rose too much. It was probably not too much of a stretch to think that they had probably done the same here…

 Chanyeol absently wondered where “here” was when another thought hit him.

 To keep Baekhyun from using his ability, they would make sure to keep him in a place too dark for him to be able to use his powers - and this place was Baekhyun’s own mind. The thing, though, was that Baekhyun _hated_ darkness. He hated it with a vengeance, and it was bad enough that even on nights were the sky was clouded, he would start to feel panicked. Which was why Chanyeol made sure to always leave some kind of light on in the car.

 Chanyeol’s fire flared as he felt panic fill his lungs, making it harder to breath as his eyes flew open. He really needed to get to Baekhyun, and _now_.

 The door was flung open, people entering, and Chanyeol knew what was awaiting him. But he shook his head manically, eyes filling with tears.

 “No, no, please… I need to get to him,” he begged, choking on tears. “I need to get to him, I need to save him!”

 It was all in vain. Another needle in his thigh, and the last thing Chanyeol saw was how a woman in a white coat adjusted his drip.

  


~☉~

  


 Baekhyun is pretty sure years are passing by as he is trapped in the darkness. He feels his mind slowly disappearing- no, he is lying. He is feeling it trickle away by every second passing, and the stream is getting bigger and bigger. He knows there is no one saving him this time, he knows he is the only one who can save himself, but he is unable to do that. He is unable to do more than chant Chanyeol’s name, and imagine the fiery monster he dreams off.

 Because even though he knows that that monster inside of Chanyeol killed him once - that monster was a blazing inferno, and as he is lacking any visible light sources, he is conjuring it in his mind instead as a comfort.

 Does that mean that Baekhyun has two minds now? Since he is stuck inside of his mind, and is thinking with his mind… Or is he using his mind that is imprisoning him to also think, but it appears as if in the head of him trapped in here? Do you have an infinite number of minds, or only one…?

  


~☉~

  


  _“You have at least a few minutes, use them well.”_

 Gasping, Chanyeol flew up in his bed, his veins seemingly completely wiped, no traces of the drug as he scrambled off of the bed. Weak from disuse, it takes a few seconds before his legs starts to cooperate, but as soon as they do, Chanyeol rushed to the window - mirror - whatever.

 He recognized that voice. He knew that voice. He had not heard that voice in _so long_ , but he knew it. It was Jongin’s voice - Jongin had been in his room, and Chanyeol had only a few minutes to find Baekhyun.

 There was no time to waste.

 Putting both of his hands against the glass, Chanyeol gritted his teeth as he gathered as much power as he possibly could without waking the monster, and sent it all to his palms. Barely a few seconds passed before the glass began to melt, and soon the hole was big enough for him to go through.

 Collapsing into a dark room, Chanyeol lit a flame and looked around. He was right - it was a one-way mirror, the room he was now in decorated with a few rows of chairs. There were a few strange screens as well, looking way too thin compared to the ones he had seen the last time they has escaped.

 But Chanyeol did not pay too much attention to this, getting to his feet and rushing out through the door. He let his gut feeling guide his feet, as it had never betrayed him before. He was connected to Baekhyun, souls melded together, and if it was one place he would always find his way to it was wherever Baekhyun was.

 The corridors melted together into a white blur as Chanyeol kept running, his lungs hurting and his heart almost beating its way out of his chest. But that was fine, because his real heart was missing, stolen away from him. But he was getting it back. That he was sure of.

 Then his heart missed a beat, and Chanyeol came to a stop. Breathing ragged, he slowly took a step back, before hesitantly turning his head. There, in front of him, was a lab. And in this lab was someone he recognized. A man writhing and shaking on a stretcher, strapped down, eyes wide open and froth dripping from his mouth.

 “Sehun…,” Chanyeol whispered, fear pulsing through his veins as he placed a hand to the window separating them.

 Just as he was about to burn through the window, a door was flung open, and scientists rushed inside. They injected something into the poor man’s arm, and Sehun stopped thrashing around. His vision cleared, and he looked up, fading blue eyes locking with Chanyeol.

 Chanyeol frowned as he realized Sehun was mouthing something to him, but he could not read it, he could not understand. It hit him, though, as one of the scientists began to turn around.

 “ _Run_ ,” had been the word, and Chanyeol did just that.

 

 Seconds ticked past, turning into minutes, and Chanyeol’s anxiety grew with each step. Where was Baekhyun? Was he going in the wrong direction? Should he try to find an exit instead?

 He quickly shoved the last thought away, because that was impossible. He could not leave Baekhyun in the hands of these maniacs, never.

 And then something stole his breath away, and Chanyeol stopped in front of a door. There was no hesitation as he tore it open - trying not to worry over the fact that it was unlocked - and flung himself inside, before closing the door behind him and locking it.

 Finally, he turned around, and was met by a disturbing sight. A sight that would probably haunt him forever.

 In the middle of the room stood a chair, a single spotlight shining down on top of it. And in that chair sat a very familiar and very dear person. But he was all wrong.

 His hair was black, as dark as it could possible get. His skin was pale, too pale, no longer bearing the tattoos. And his eyes… His eyes were distant, and dark blue. A dark blue that contrasted greatly with all the white and black, but a dark blue that made Chanyeol feel sick to his stomach.

 Falling to his knees in front of Baekhyun, Chanyeol took his hands, slotting their fingers together and shivering at how cold they were. Baekhyun was freezing.

 “Baek?” Chanyeol asked in a tiny voice, tears threatening to spill. “Baek, can you hear me?”

  


~☉~

  


 172801 seconds has passed since Baekhyun decided he wanted to start counting them.

 Well, not really, since Baekhyun a number of times accidentally lost track of which number he was on, or got sidetracked. But since the last time he began to count again, it has been 172801 seconds.

 Wait. Is it 172802 seconds now? Or more? Damnit…

  _“-ek. Baek, can you hear me?”_

 Baekhyun raises his head at the unmistakable sound of Chanyeol’s voice. Is he hearing things now as well? How long into this will he start seeing things? Because he cannot wait, he longs to see Chanyeol again. And the stars. He wants to see the stars.

  _“Baek, please, if you can hear me, let me know, we don’t have much time!”_

 There it is again… And Baekhyun starts to think that maybe, just maybe, Chanyeol might be here. Or there. With his body. Not in his mind. No, his mind is empty, completely empty. Baekhyun himself is almost gone as well.

 Shaking his head, Baekhyun stand up. Is he really standing, though? Or is he not? He cannot determine in the darkness. But anyway. He think he is standing up, and is putting his hands around his mouth.

 “Chanyeol? Chanyeol, are you there?” he is yelling, yelling into the darkness.

 Will Chanyeol be able to hear him? He is trapped in his mind, after all. But… Maybe he can force his mind to exit his mind for a little while and get back control, so that Chanyeol can know that he is there?

 Wow. That is a complicated thought. Get his mind to exit his mind? Whew!

 Concentrating as much as he can (which is not a lot), Baekhyun is trying to break through the darkness, just a bit, to move his lips. He think he is actually pretty close to it, it feels right, and so he yells Chanyeol’s name, as loudly as he can.

 And then he is screaming even louder as fire is suddenly engulfing his entire body. Or mind. Whatever.

  


~☉~

  


 As gently as he possibly could, but still hard enough to make sure it succeeds, Chanyeol poured his fire into Baekhyun’s body. He has done this before, he knows he can, but he has never tried to be this careful before. Because he really does not want to burn Baekhyun to death - _again_.

 And then, a silent gasp was heard as the blue faded from Baekhyun’s eyes, and Chanyeol’s name slipped from his lips, barely above a whisper and mixing with the crystalline tears slowly dripping down.

 Cupping the older man’s cheeks, Chanyeol felt a tear slip from his own eyes, so thankful that he had managed to save Baekhyun. He had the power to do it.

 The guard were now at the door, banging on it, trying to get inside. Chanyeol’s few, precious minutes were just about up, and he knew this would be his last for a long time. Leaning forwards, Chanyeol bid his goodbyes.

 “I’ll come back, and I’ll save you,” Chanyeol whispered into Baekhyun’s ear, feeling the other man tremble from a sob. “Wait for me.”

 With a loud bang, the door was broken down, and security came flooding inside. Chanyeol merely leaned back, eyes locked with Baekhyun’s. For the barest of moments, he thought about using his powers, but the chance of hurting Baekhyun… And even if he did not, it would most surely awaken the monster inside of him, and then Baekhyun would be dead for sure.

 Chanyeol’s hands were ripped from Baekhyun’s cheeks, as guards manhandled him and pinned him down to the floor.

 “No, Chanyeol,” Baekhyun whispered, trying to move his his arms, but the drug was still too strong in his body, making him too weak. He could not save Chanyeol, he could not even help the younger in any way, stuck with watching the man he loved get beaten, hearing him grunt and hiss in pain.

 And then he was gone. But Baekhyun held on to that picture of his red-headed giant on his knees in front of him, fire in his eyes as he promised he would be back. And Baekhyun would hold him to this promise.

  


~☉~

  


 Baekhyun is once more stuck in the darkness. Before he could regain his strength, a nurse came in and gave him some blue liquid through a needle in his thigh, and darkness once more stole him away.

 So now, here he is, curled up in the darkness. There is nothing, but at least he has gotten most of his mind back. The question is how long he will be able to hold on to it this time around.

 Baekhyun is thinking of Chanyeol once more, how handsome he looked in his white clothing, how otherworldly he looked with his deep red hair… Chanyeol looks good in red hair. Even better than he looks in his cotton candy hair. It compliments his skin perfectly, and Baekhyun wants to see more of it.

  _I hope you come back soon… I’m waiting for you… I always will…_

  


~☉~

  


 The next time Chanyeol woke up, it was a slow process. Much slower than it had been the other times. It was as if he had to drag himself out of a pit of jelly or something, unable to see or hear or feel anything, hardly able to even breathe.

 Finally, he broke through the surface, slowly blinking. He realizes that he is restrained again, but this time it was with metal cuffs instead of fabric.

 Even if it is possible, metal is much harder to melt. Especially when Chanyeol does not know the melting point of it. He could incinerate the entire building before melting through the metal. And that is something he does not really want to risk.

 “You’re awake.”

 The voice startled Chanyeol, and he slowly lets his head loll to the side. A woman is standing there, arms crossed over her chest and a cold expression on her face.

 Chanyeol licked his dry lips, trying to form words.

 “You want to know who I am? Well, I’m the director of this facility, and lead scientist on this experiment that you and your little friends are part of. Since you managed to kill the last director, they had to find someone else.”

 Chanyeol felt disgust fill him - he did not like this woman. She was cold, clinic, and seemed to harbour a deep hate for him.

 “I’m simply here to let you know that we won’t take any chances with you anymore,” the woman said, letting her hand fall to the bed he was one, stroking the edge as she walked to the end of it. Too close to Chanyeol’s body to be comfortable, and he tried to shift away. “As soon as we detect the barest of rise in body temperature from you, we will come in and sedate you. And if you somehow manage to escape to run off to your little _boyfriend_ again, we will kill him.”

 The last part made Chanyeol laugh - a cracked and hoarse laugh.

 “No, you won’t,” he managed to rasp out, a sarcastic smile on his face. “He’s the most powerful out of all of us, he’s the most valuable. I know what his light comes from, we saw, we understand. With him, you could leap light years ahead in science, but you’re too afraid to use him. Because you know how powerful he is. You wouldn’t risk him, or kill him, just to keep me in place. I’m not valuable enough. Calling your bluff…”

 The director’s face darkened, features pinching, and Chanyeol knew he won this battle. He let out a chuckle that quickly turned into a coughing fit, but he was fine. They had nothing on him.

 Snarling, the director rushed over to his side once more, fisting her hand in his hair and tugging at it painfully.

 “I might not kill him, but I have five others I can kill instead! If you want to keep your friends alive, _you will do as I say, and not escape again_!” she hissed into his ear, but all Chanyeol heard was ‘five’.

 They had been twelve that had escaped. Excluding Chanyeol and Baekhyun, ten other people had gotten out. Five, plus Chanyeol and Baekhyun, were once more trapped. That meant that five other people were still either out there, or dead. Either way, five other people were free. Almost half of them were free.

 And Chanyeol knew that at least Jongin was alive and on the outside.

 Hope filled his body so quickly that he had to gasp for air, ignoring the pain from the hold on his air, as it no longer hurt. Five people. At least one alive. Maybe the most important one was alive. They could get out again.

 And this time… This time Chanyeol would make sure to burn it _all_ to the ground. _All_ of SM’s facilities. _All_ of their secret bases. If he so had to spend the rest of his life in his monster form, he would do that, just to keep them safe.

 To keep Baekhyun safe.

 “You seem to understand what I’m saying here, so I’ll leave you now,” the director said, mistaking Chanyeol’s gasps and widening eyes as realization and fear for what her threat meant. But Chanyeol could barely contain the smile so close to breaking out on his lips. “Don’t worry, you won’t feel much. We improved the formula, adjusted it to each and every one. And we keep evolving it, never keeping it the same, so you don’t get used to it and build up resistance. This time we’re not taking any chances. This time, you will stay here for a long, long time…”

 And with that, the director left, leaving Chanyeol once more alone in the room. As soon as the door closed, he let out the brightest laugh he had mustered in a long time. Probably even since before he was taken the first time.

  


~☉~

  


 As Chanyeol slipped in and out of consciousness, he wondered who had been captured again, and if everyone on the outside were still alive.

 There were seven in here, and Chanyeol knew that it was himself, Baekhyun, and Sehun, plus four more. Jongin was on the outside, and Chanyeol was pretty sure that Kyungsoo was with him, as Jongin would never leave the elder, and Kyungsoo was quite capable of taking care of himself anyway. Five people more or less accounted for, out of twelve.

 So who of the other seven were trapped in here, and who were free?

 

 During one day, one of the few days when Chanyeol were closer to the surface than normal, something happened.

 A loud noise suddenly cut through the air, making Chanyeol jerk in surprise and his mind woke up a bit more. He could almost flutter his eyelids open, so he tried.

 It seemed to be an alarm that had gone off, since the noise continued, and Chanyeol soon heard boots running down hallways, and shouts. His door was violently thrown open and two guards entered, armed with automatic weapons.

 What was going on? Had someone tried to escape?

 The guards kept glancing through the door, and Chanyeol did not make a move. It would probably be better if they did not know he was awake…

 “What the hell happened?” one of the guards whispered, barely audible for Chanyeol.

 “I don’t know,” the other guard mumbled. “I mean, didn’t they increase the security the last time it happened? It’s not supposed to be able to get inside? Last time it did, it released this one, think of what would happen if it released the scary one…”

 Chanyeol tried to hold back a frown. ‘It’ released him last time…? Where they talking about Jongin? Jongin was here, inside?

 “The scary one?”

 “Yeah, you know, the one always seated in a chair? Completely drugged to hell? I heard from, uh, someone, that that one is the most fucked up of them all. Something about atoms and shit, and it creates light from it? Like a star?”

 The first guard gave a short laugh.

 “Like a star? You shouldn’t listen to what that little scientist you fuck says,” the first guard mocked. “You know they’re all a bit crazy, I mean, you have to be to work here, right? A star, the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard…”

 Chanyeol almost snorted, unable to keep the small smile off of his lips. _Oh, if they only knew_ …

 Some radio static was heard, Chanyeol assuming the guards in front of him got some message, but he could unfortunately not hear it.

 “Ah, dammit, it got away again… Didn’t they say that it wouldn’t be able to come or leave if it tried again?” the first guard muttered.

 “Oh, but you know, everyone here is a bit crazy, so we shouldn’t listen to what they say,” the second guard said, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

 “What, you got upset from what I said? Calm down, man, it’s nothing personal. But like a star… That’s just ridiculous. Don’t you think it sounds ridiculous, too?”

 “It’s called nuclear fusion,” Chanyeol spoke up, voice cracking from disuse. “It’s a very complicated process, too complicated for your simple minds, but he is basically like a star.”

 “What the fuck?!” one of the guards exclaimed as they whirred around, weapons ready and trained on him. “Wasn’t it supposed to be asleep?!”

 Chanyeol chuckled dryly. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything… I’m too tired to burn you two to crisps. So you said someone has broken inside? The teleporter?”

 “Shut up, or we’ll shoot!” one of the guards threatened, making Chanyeol laugh even more.

 “Shoot me for what? Making conversation? I’m not a threat to you. At least not currently. I’m pretty sure there’s cameras filming everything happening in this room, might even be microphones, so they’ll see if you intentionally harm me or kill me. And considering the efforts they put into fixing me the last time they caught me, I would say that they wouldn’t be too happy at you… I know what they do to guards they don’t trust anymore. Do you think they’ll just let you go, let you return home? You know too much. The only safe thing to do is… Well, I think you can figure it out yourself.”

 By the end of his monologue, Chanyeol’s throat was hurting badly, his voice so hoarse that it was barely audible, but he knew he got his message across.

 He definitely understood from the heavy silence that suddenly rested across the room, even with all the clatter going on outside of the door.

 Then there was the unmistakable sound of heels clicking against floor, and the director entered the room, glaring at the two guards.

 “Didn’t I tell you to _never_ talk to the experiments?” she hissed, and the two guards cowered.

 “I-it started to talk to us!” one of the guards protested, motioning for Chanyeol.

 “Yes, but if you didn’t blabber your mouths about the _emergency situation_ going on right now, he wouldn’t know anything, and he wouldn’t _speak_ to you!”

 “I was just educating them,” Chanyeol grinned. “Shouldn’t your guards be aware of the dangers of working here? I mean, containing a fusion reactor in a single room through trapping him in his own mind seems a bit… No, _very_ dangerous. They should at least know what they’re risking their lives for, I think.”

 “I think you should go back to sleep now,” the director said through a forced smile as she walked over to Chanyeol’s bedside, taking a needle out of one of her pockets and preparing it.

 “It doesn’t matter, I’ll wake up again, and again, and again, and one day, it will be the end of all of this. You know it, I know it, they know it. We’re getting out again, and this time… This time we’ll be free forever.”

 The director stabbed the needle down into Chanyeol’s thigh, making him hiss in pain, but then darkness quickly overtook him, and he was gone.

  


~☉~

  


_Please… Please, someone… Please, save me… I don’t want to be here anymore… I’m scared…_

_Please, if someone can hear me… Please…_

  


~☉~

  


 Chanyeol was dreaming.

 It was a very nice dream, and it felt almost as reality, but he knew it was a dream. Because every moment he got with Baekhyun nowadays was. And it was a dream made from a dear memory.

 They were laying in their car, tangled up together with nothing else but a thin blanket covering them. They did not need any more, combined body heats and Chanyeol’s fire keeping them warm. Chanyeol had his eyes closed, drawing patterns into Baekhyun’s back, as the smaller was humming along to a song.

 Chanyeol loved the sound of Baekhyun’s voice. It was one of his favorite things in the world, only beaten by Baekhyun himself.

 His light, his star, his soulmate. His everything.

 The humming stopped, and Chanyeol felt Baekhyun move on top of him, but he did not open his eyes, comforted by the heavy warmth of the man against him.

 “Hey, Yeol?”

 Chanyeol hummed in response.

 “I… I just want you to know something.”

 The tone of Baekhyun’s voice caught Chanyeol’s attention, and opening his eyes, he looked down at the other.

 “What is it?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around the smaller, hugging him closer.

 Baekhyun sighed, letting his fingers run up and down Chanyeol’s bicep and making goosebumps appear. It took some time, but Chanyeol was not an impatient person, and he knew Baekhyun would start talking when he was ready to do so.

 “I just want you to know that no matter what happens, I’ll always love you,” was suddenly whispered, so quietly that Chanyeol did not know if he heard right.

 But at the same time, he knew. He always knew.

 Tightening his arms around the smaller, Chanyeol pulled him up his body until he could press soft lips together. Baekhyun sighed into the kiss, both from sadness and from comfort.

 Chanyeol should comfort him with his words, say that he did not need to worry, say that he would never let anything happen to the love of his life, but he knew it was all lies. They both knew that they were living on borrowed time, that one day - soon - they would be ripped apart from each other, maybe never be able to see each other again.

 So instead of lying and filling Baekhyun with false hope, Chanyeol opted for taking advantage of the time they had left. Using every single second to love Baekhyun as passionately as he could.

 And since he was fire, that was quite passionately.

 Managing to spin them both around on the small seat, Chanyeol pinned Baekhyun to the leather as he deepened the kiss, Baekhyun quick to give in and give access. As soon as those pretty lips separated, Chanyeol flitted his tongue against them, meeting with the tip of Baekhyun’s tongue.

 Fingers roughly slid down ribs, nails dug into flesh, teeth nibbling and biting, and there would be bruises, but neither cared.

 Both hoped the bruises, the marks and proofs of their love, would never fade.

  


~☉~

  


 Baekhyun is dreaming. Or, well, he is thinking of an old memory. He is quite unable to dream, since to dream you need to sleep - unless you daydream - and Baekhyun is unable to sleep.

 Yes, he would probably call it daydreaming. Waked dreaming about an old memory.

 That is what he is doing.

 And it is as vibrant as if it happened just yesterday.

 It had not, of course, but still. In Baekhyun’s mind, it almost seems like it. First mind? Second mind? All of the minds.

 It had been a few days before they had been captured, and Baekhyun had had a nagging feeling in his chest - around the same area as his heart - for several days. A steadily escalating sense of foreboding. Maybe that was why he was so jittery, and so mournful…

 Stopping his humming, as it did nothing to calm him down, Baekhyun instead crawled up on top of Chanyeol, rubbing his nose against the taller’s chest, trying to gain his attention but getting nothing more than a serene smile and closed eyes.

 But he knows, as soon as the words tumble from his lips, that Chanyeol will hear that something is wrong. If he has not already noticed.

 And he does. Notice, that is. He does, and he wraps his arms tighter around Baekhyun, and Baekhyun could not keep from saying the words they had promised not to say.

 They were free, enjoying the freedom, and they knew anyway. No matter what, they were eternally linked, string connecting their two hearts and souls. Unbreakable even by death. Undeniable. Obvious and natural.

 Baekhyun was Chanyeol’s and Chanyeol was Baekhyun’s.

 No. Is. _Is_. They still are each other’s. They will always be.

 Baekhyun wish he can see the marks Chanyeol left behind on his body. He know that they are gone now, but he wants to see them. See them and take comfort in them, evidence of Chanyeol’s love, tangible proof of something that is intangible, untouchable.

 But darkness is still there, all around him, and even if it was not, there are no traces left anymore.

 All Baekhyun has is memories. Sweet, and some bitter, memories.

 And so he is replaying them, over and over again, trying to once more feel each kiss, each stroke, each burn and nibble, each touch. Trying to hold on to it all, trying to not lose his mind again.

 It is just barely working, but he is still feeling it slip away slowly, like water through his fingers. Baekhyun just hope someone will come save him soon, before he is lost, because this time…

 This time it will be forever.

  


~☉~

  


 “Chanyeol, I need you to wake up and tell me who you know are in here.”

 As if instinctively, the fire spread through Chanyeol’s blood, boiling it, incinerating the drug and making Chanyeol wake up with a gasp.

 “Baekhyun, Sehun, me,” he answered as his vision slowly swam back into focus, a face framed by dark hair above him, “plus four more.”

 Jongin smiled his charming smile, patting Chanyeol’s arm lightly.

 “Thank you, good job. Don’t worry, we’re coming for you soon.”

 “Good,” Chanyeol said, small smile on his lips.

 Then Jongin disappeared, leaving a quickly dissipating dust cloud behind, half a second before the door burst open, security rushing inside.

 Letting his eyes slip closed, Chanyeol kept smiling as the pain of a needle stabbed into his thigh, and as darkness stole him away.

  _Soon… Just a little bit more…_

  


~☉~

  


_“Baekhyun?”_

 Raising his head from its resting place on top of his knees, Baekhyun looks around, eyes wide but still unable to see anything.

 “Hello? Who’s there?” he calls out, afraid his mind is playing tricks on him.

 Again.

_“It’s me - Jongin. I can’t see… It’s so dark in here. Are you okay?”_

 “How can you be here? In my mind?” Baekhyun asks, clutching a hand in his shirt. Mentally, at least.

  _“I’ve… evolved my powers. This is just another dimension for me to teleport to. It’s harder, though, and I can’t stay for too long. Baek, don’t succumb. You can’t let yourself disappear just yet. We’re soon coming for you, for you all. We’ll save you, just don’t lose hope.”_

 Baekhyun is sobbing, unable to believe the words but unable to stop hoping.

 “I-I don’t know if I can…,” he says, lips trembling. “It’s so dark in here… I have no light…”

 A ghostly touch whispers over his cheek, and he tries to catch it. But it is already gone.

_“I know… I wish I could help, but I can’t… Not yet. Stay strong. You’ve always been strong, just believe in yourself. You’ll soon get your light back.”_

 And even though shadows of tears are gathering in Baekhyun’s eyes, he smiles. It is faint and it is trembling, but it is there.

 Just like that, Byun Baekhyun is a little less afraid.

  


~☉~

  


 The next time Chanyeol heard the alarm - muted, muddy, as if from several meters away from where he is lying in the sea - he instinctively knows that this is it.

 It is time.

 Gathering all of his power, he lets it explode through his veins, roaring as he was slung out of near-unconsciousness and into reality. The two guards who entered his room as he threw himself out of bed do not even have time to raise their guns before they were flying out into the corridor, backs hitting a wall hard, and they slump to the ground.

 Suddenly, said ground begun to shake, and Chanyeol threw a hand out to steady himself, dust falling from the ceiling as cracks spread.

  _Kyungsoo_.

 A dark grin was spreading on his lips as Chanyeol rushed over to the door, only to be met by the shimmering signalling teleportation, and then Jongin was stand in front of him, a small cut on his cheekbone leaking scarlet tears down his cheek.

 “You’re bleeding?” Chanyeol asked, frowning.

 “Why do you think Soo almost brought the whole place down just now?” Jongin asked, smiling brightly, and it draws a surprised chuckle out of Chanyeol.

 “Still as protective, huh? That cute little thing… What’s the plan?”

 Jongin dragged Chanyeol out of the room, and they began to run. It was quite noticeable that Chanyeol has not moved like this in a long time, as his heart quite quickly starts to pound too hard, and his lungs seemed incapable of fully fill with air.

 “We need to get to as many as possible as quickly as possible. Security has been deployed all over the place, and you, Junmyeon and Yixing are basically the only ones able to dispel the drug on your own,” Jongin explained as he took a turn, Chanyeol skidding after. “As soon as I’m done with you, I’ll go and make sure they set off to help. I think you know where I need you to go.”

 “Baekhyun.”

 It was not a question. Baekhyun was the most powerful out of them, maybe with the exception of Jongin, and they needed him awake and well as soon as possible.

 Jongin nodded, eyes constantly scanning the corridors both in front and behind them.

 “Get to him, I don’t know what kind of shape he is in, but I hope he hasn’t succumbed to madness yet… Just get to him and wake him up, and be careful. See you later.”

 And just like that, Jongin teleported, disappearing mid step and leaving Chanyeol to continue on his own.

 It was a good thing that he had memorized the way to Baekhyun’s room.

  


~☉~

  


 There is a ringing noise all around him, and no matter how hard he press his hands against his ears, Baekhyun cannot shut it out. Closing his eyes, he is screaming along to the annoying sound, but his voice is not over-powering it either.

 It is probably from outside, sounding around his body, and since he is only able to use his hands in his mind, nothing is affecting it.

 Touches ghost over his hands, coming to close around his wrists like wind caressing them, and it is oddly comforting. Baekhyun lets the scream die, instead focusing on the touch.

 A trick of his mind… Or someone on the outside?

 Then he hears it. Faintly, oh so faintly, but it is there.

  _“Baekhyun. Baekhyun!”_ someone is screaming, and Baekhyun knows that voice, even though it is rougher than he remember.

 Fire is exploding through his veins, and Baekhyun once more scream as his vision turns red. But he knows this, this is good, this is great!

 But it is not enough.

 He is not released, still trapped in the darkness…

 Wait…

 There… There is something…

 Something that is not darkness…

 A crack. A crack in his mind, in his dark prison. Light streaming through, and for the first time in so long, Baekhyun is able to look down at his hands and actually _see_ them.

 A grin splits his face as he feels the light course through his veins, melding with the fire, borrowing the heat from it and using it to kickstart his body. Building the pressure inside of him, he curls in on himself, until he is close to bursting from it all.

 Roaring, Byun Baekhyun let it all out, exploding like a firework and tearing through his own mind.

  


~☉~

  


 Still with his hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders after having filled the shorter with his fire, Chanyeol can feel the heat rise from the skin through the shirt. If he had not been blessed with the power he had, he would probably be suffering from some serious burns now.

 Something in his mind whispers to him to back away, something is about to happen, and Chanyeol obeys it. His gut feeling is rarely wrong, after all.

 Chanyeol has barely pressed his back against the wall as he sees Baekhyun curl up on himself, before _exploding_ , throwing his arms out, a roar ripping from his throat as he began to float in the air, light seeping from every pore of his body. It was like witnessing a supernova explosion, too bright, but Chanyeol could not look away. The man in front of him was too beautiful, completely entrancing Chanyeol.

 Then Baekhyun’s light increased in power, until his skin was glowing like Sirius, and Chanyeol finally managed to shut his eyes as to not burn his eyeballs away. He felt the heat gather in the middle of the room, barely managing to throw up a fiery shield in front of himself before Baekhyun once more exploded, heat and radiation pushing off of him like waves.

 Falling to his knees, Chanyeol tried to hold on, tried to keep himself safe, keep the radiation away but gratefully accepting the heat that fired his inner flames on, until they formed a blazing inferno that threatened to spill out. It was like a shot of energy straight to his heart, and Chanyeol had never felt so alive and _powerful_ before.

 Running approached them, but they did not get far before incinerating from the incredible heat Baekhyun produced, and Chanyeol could not even find it in his heart to feel sorry for them. Not after all they had done to them, all the experimenting, all the torture, the imprisonment… This death was way too merciful for these monsters.

 The heat began to dissipate as the light faded, and daring to open his eyes again, Chanyeol saw Baekhyun slowly float to the ground again. He was magnificent, ethereal and shining, a star in more ways than one. And when he opened his eyes, locking shining white gaze with Chanyeol’s flaming red gaze, Chanyeol was sure he suffered from a sudden heart attack. Arms falling to his sides and shield disappearing, Chanyeol scrambled to his feet and ran.

 Ran towards the open embrace, ran towards the hands stretched out towards him, until he could wrap his arms around his everything, knocking the air out of them both.

 But neither cared as hands roamed, familiarizing themselves with something they had almost forgotten, and lips and teeth crashing together, cutting through skin and leaving marks.

 Clattering interrupted the lovers' passionate embrace, shots being heard, but with a growl, Chanyeol rose a wall of flames, the heat making the bullets melt and fall useless to the ground in small pools. He could feel the monster inside snarl and claw at its cage, wanting to be let out, but he held it back.

 No, that was wrong.

 The slim fingers digging into his flesh held the monster back, Baekhyun held his sanity in place, and Chanyeol tightened the arm around his star’s waist.

 More shots were fired, and Chanyeol pushed the fire away from them and towards the guards, who barely had time to scream before they were completely incinerated.

 “Yeol?” came Baekhyun’s breathless voice, and Chanyeol looked down to see amazement mixed with apprehension and fear in those beautiful eyes that were still shining, but now back to their normal dark brown color.

 “Seems like you supercharged me when you exploded,” Chanyeol grinned, feeling Baekhyun relax against him. “Don’t let go of me and I won’t go darkside, but we need to find the others.”

 Nodding, Baekhyun let one of his hands slide down Chanyeol’s arm, letting their fingers intertwine, filling the empty spaces and still fitting perfectly against each other. Getting up on the tip of his toes, Baekhyun pressed one last sweet kiss to Chanyeol lips, nothing more but a peck, but making another kind of soothing warmth flow through his body.

 Even after Baekhyun pulled back and the magic faded, Chanyeol still felt it inside of him, still felt the calming effect it had on the monster, and he smiled softly as he pulled Baekhyun from the burnt and destroyed room.

 

 It did not take long to find the rest, Chanyeol opting for the room where he had last seen Sehun. On the way, he filled Baekhyun in on what had happened, the older having pressed his lips into a thin line and keeping his eyes trained on the floor beneath their feet.

 They came to an abrupt stop as a guard flew past them through an open door, hitting the wall and sliding to the floor, small arcs of electricity dancing over his body. A man stepped out of the room, furious eyes scanning the corridor as electricity tickled the tips of his blonde hair.

 “Jongdae!” Baekhyun burst out as Chanyeol stood frozen. It was the first time he had seen the kitten-like man so _pissed off_ , normally favoring smiles above all else.

 But he guessed that they had all changed.

 The anger lightened as Jongdae rushed over to them, throwing his arms around them both and giving them small jolts of electricity. As they both hissed in pain, Jongdae pulled back, a sheepish smile on his kitten-like lips.

 “Oh, sorry, still too excited,” Jongdae said, and it was refreshing to hear his voice again.

 “Uh, Jongdae?” another voice called out, a head peeking out from inside of the room. “Are you calmer now?”

 “Junmyeon-hyung!” Chanyeol exclaimed, making the worried man look up, eyes widening.

 “Chanyeol! Baekhyun!” Junmyeon said, face lighting up. “Ah, I’m so glad to see you both! Jongin told me you were also here, but I didn’t know in which… Uh, _shape_ we would see you.”

 “What happened to your lips?” Jongdae asked, eyes squinted at he looked closer at them.

 Baekhyun rolled his eyes as a light blush settled on Chanyeol’s cheeks.

 “We’ve been apart for a long time, and didn’t know if we would see each other ever again, what do you think?” Baekhyun said, voice heavy with sarcasm.

 “Couldn’t you at least have waited with the face-eating until after we’re out of here?” Jongdae asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

 Before anyone could reply, there were shimmering in the air, before Jongin popped into existence. Immediately, Baekhyun attacked the younger, one arm around Jongin whilst still holding on to Chanyeol. Looking a bit surprised at first, Jongin wrapped his arms around the slightly trembling man, rubbing his hands soothingly over his back.

 “Thank you,” Baekhyun whispered against Jongin’s shoulder, just barely audible.

 “Of course,” Jongin said back, smiling softly. “But we’re not out yet. Yixing and Sehun need help, we need to go to them.”

 Junmyeon looked around, frown settling itself between his eyebrows.

 “What about the rest? That’s only eight of us?” he asked, making the rest look at him.

 Jongin stepped back from Baekhyun’s embrace, eyes downcast.

 “Minseok is with Kyungsoo, helping him, but the rest… They’re not here. We don’t know where they are. Or if they’re even…”

  _If they are even alive._

 Jongin did not have to voice it out, because they all knew what he meant. The words rang clear in all of their minds.

 “Let’s go then,” Chanyeol said, tightening his grip on Baekhyun’s hand. “Let’s go and help those we can.”

 Jongin looked up at Chanyeol, eyes dark, and nodded. Turning around, he set off, and the others followed.

 It did not take long before they found Yixing and Sehun, who were trying to hold the soldiers back. At the same time, Kyungsoo and Minseok joined them, and all nine in the facility were accounted for.

 “Time to get out of here!” Jongin yelled over the noise, and Kyungsoo nodded, before falling to his knees and pressing his hands against the floor.

 Closing his eyes, Kyungsoo clenched his jaw, and soon, a low rumble filled the room, gradually growing in strength as the floor began to shake. Jongin motioned for the rest to get back, and the obeyed, just before the room was split in two, a large chasm opening in the middle of the floor. Two guards went falling down it, screaming, and Chanyeol only heard the sound fading, not cutting off.

 The chasm widened, pipes bursting, electricity sputtering, flames exploding. It was all held away from the nine men, controlled by the ones who could.

 Suddenly, there was a guard running for Kyungsoo, having managed to sneak in behind them, but before anyone had the chance to react, Yixing was there, a chokehold on the man. And then the man began to _wilt_ , rapidly going through aging, until his crumpled up skin fell off his bones, and Yixing let the skeleton fall to the floor.

 “I thought his power was _healing_?” Jongdae hissed next to Chanyeol, still busy with making sure the torn cables did not accidentally electrocute them.

 “I thought so too…,” Chanyeol weakly said, a bit shaken by the horrific show by the normally so gentle man. “I guess he… Sucked the life out of him?”

 “He’s even more terrifying than you, Yeol,” Jongdae said, shivering. “Remind me not to piss him off?”

 Chanyeol extinguished some flames with the swipe of his hand before turning back to Jongdae.

 “I don’t think you should piss off anyone of us, we’re all pretty terrifying in our own way,” Chanyeol said, and Jongdae gave a nod.

 “True.”

 Kyungsoo let out a roar as the other side of the room - along with that side of the building - was suddenly torn apart, some parts going up, some parts crumbling down, destroying it all. The ground shook as if an earthquake was happening, and in a way, it was. Chanyeol absently wondered how high on the Richter scale Kyungsoo’s earthquakes reached, as he helped Junmyeon stay standing.

 “Let’s go!” Kyungsoo called out as he stumbled to his feet, Jongin quickly by his side to help him up. It seemed as if the magnificent use of his powers had drained Kyungsoo, but he barely even looked tired, just determined, as they hurried out of the room and down corridors.

 Guards and scientists were running back and forth in the collapsing building, most not bothering even acknowledging the nine men sprinting through the corridors, and those who did were quickly neutralized by whoever was closest. Jongin and Kyungsoo led the way, with Baekhyun and Chanyeol at the end, Chanyeol to make sure nothing would come up behind them.

 They ran out through a door, and then, just like that, they were outside. It was a beautiful day outside, the sun was shining and barely a cloud could be seen, and it was such a stark contrast to what they had lived with for who knew how long, that they all came to a stop to just turn around and stare in amazement.

 “We’re… Free?” Sehun breathed, and as if his words broke the spell, they all burst out into ecstatic laughter, hugging and patting each other on the back.

 Finally, they were out, finally, they were free, and this time, it was going to stay that way.

 After the congratulations were over with, they headed up a hill nearby. Kyungsoo once more got down on his knees, closing his eyes, and concentrated. Baekhyun, who had held on to Chanyeol for as much as he could, taking his duty of demon repellent very seriously, let go of Chanyeol and fell down on his knees next to Kyungsoo.

 “I’m going to give you some help,” Baekhyun mumbled, placing a hand on Kyungsoo’s back, and Kyungsoo gasped.

 A loud noise echoed through the relative stillness of the afternoon, and, turning, they saw the rest of the facility they had been locked up in fall apart and be swallowed up by the earth, until nothing more than a craggy crater remained.

 Chanyeol exhaled heavily, sitting down rather clumsily as reality crashed into him. It was done, the facility was gone. Another might take its place, but Chanyeol knew that they would come back, and repeat the destruction, no matter how many times it would take. Because they would never be prisoners again, they would never see their freedom be taken away again.

 “What year is it?” Minseok asked quietly, also sitting down.

 “2017,” Jongin answered after a brief pause, looking around at them. “It’s 2017. Sorry we took so long breaking you out, but… We had to get out first as well. And then come up with a plan, and, well…”

 “You’re here now, you managed to get us out, and that’s all that matters,” Baekhyun said, rubbing Kyungsoo’s back lightly. The younger looked about ready to collapse. “Thank you for saving us.”

 Jongin smiled and shrugged. “It’s what friends do, we couldn’t let you waste away inside of there. Or let the building stay standing, we’d never be safe that way either.”

 “They hurt us too much to be allowed to get away with it,” Kyungsoo muttered, looking around him with sorrowful lines etched into his face. “We still don’t know what happened to the rest of us…”

 A grim silence settled over the group, and Chanyeol’s eyes wandered over to Minseok, who looked so tired and small. Sehun, who was sitting closest to the oldest, slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled him close.

 Yes, they had lost so much, and that was what would make sure they would never allow something like this to happen again. Neither to themselves, nor anyone else. No one deserved to go through what they had.

 Chanyeol looked up, eyes dragged away from the rest, meeting with Baekhyun’s. They had lost so much, but at least he had not lost _Baekhyun_. And now, he could finally take Baekhyun on that date he had promised him.

 

~☉~

 

 “Hey, Yeol, this movie is boring.”

 Chanyeol dragged his eyes away from the large screen in front of them to look down at a pouting Baekhyun next to him.

 Finally, Chanyeol had been able to take Baekhyun on a date. They had eaten a nice meal at a nice restaurant, and now they were parked in a drive-in theater. It was showing an action movie, and Chanyeol had found it extremely good, following the gunfights and explosions with rapt attention.

 Apparently, Baekhyun did not find it as good as Chanyeol did.

 “Boring? It’s awesome!” Chanyeol exclaimed, pulling Baekhyun a bit closer as he nodded towards the screen. “Look, he’s about to save his girlfriend-”

 “And then they’ll share a passionate kiss, but something will happen that have him leave, to save the world or something,” Baekhyun said, rolling his eyes. “Like I said, boring. And predictable. I’ve lived through a much worse action movie, this has nothing on my life!”

 Chanyeol pondered that for a while, until he slowly nodded.

 “That’s… true. I see your point. Want to get out of here?”

 “To the beach,” Baekhyun said, grinning widely, and Chanyeol could not resist him.

 He could never resist Baekhyun. Not even now, when they were relatively safe, living real lives.

 Chanyeol drove them out of the drive-in theater, and down towards the beach. It was empty of people at this hour, but that suited them well.

 After a few bumps and some laughing, they found themselves in the backseat of the car. It was the same model as the one they had traveled around in so many years ago, and even if it was not the same car, it was still nostalgic to them.

 “Chanyeol?” Baekhyun asked, voice low in the silence, only the waves being heard, and Chanyeol hummed in acknowledgement. “Thank you. For keeping your promise. I’ve had a really nice evening.”

 Chanyeol cracked an eye open, glancing over at Baekhyun as a mischievous grin spread on his lips.

 “Is this where you kiss me, and we make love by the beach? That’s pretty cheesy, Baek.”

 Baekhyun laughed, softly hitting Chanyeol’s shoulder.

 “Says you, king of cheese! I never offered you my body, I was just thanking you!”

 Chanyeol quickly flipped Baekhyun down on the backseat and laid down on top of him, one hand cupping a soft cheek.

 “You’re very welcome,” Chanyeol mumbled, thumb caressing cheekbone. “I promised I would take you, and I did. And I had a really nice time as well.”

 “Are you sure we should be doing this?” Baekhyun asked, soft smile turning a bit more shrewd. “The laws have gotten a bit harder since last time we were in a position like this…”

 “As have I,” Chanyeol said, making Baekhyun burst out laughing again, but then Chanyeol leaned down and caught those smiling lips, swallowing the laugh that was quickly choked and turned into a moan.

 And just like all those years ago, lying in a backseat like this, Baekhyun felt the same fire begin to lick at his insides, building like a crescendo. It was not long before red was all he could see behind his closed eyelids, each touch burning into his skin, Chanyeol’s finger playing him like the guitar he had gotten.

 Their lips still fit so well against each other, as well as their interlaced fingers. There was no doubt in either’s mind that they had been made for each other, and now, finally, they could fully explore that without the constant fear of being discovered and imprisoned.

 Chanyeol set Baekhyun’s world ablaze, until he shone brighter than any star, and Chanyeol would forever be blinded by Baekhyun, not needing to see anyone else. They were one, together, from now until the end of eternity.

**Author's Note:**

> And there we go, the ending to this little dramatic mini-series :') the symbol used here is the alchemic symbol for the sun, obviously for Baekhyun's power of light! It was surprisingly fun to write Baekhyun going a bit insane, actually, I had fun with that... I mean, I feel horrible that he had to go through that, but trying to show his insanity in a good way was a fun challenge!  
> What happened to KrisTaoLu is unknown - maybe they survived, maybe they didn't, nobody knows! Not even me :)


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